Author: Christelle Terreblanche, The Star
Date: January 29, 2007
Source: The Star, SA http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3650929

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Nairobi - Social movements worldwide are set to step up their action against economic and social injustice, vowing "to move from popular resistance to offensive actions".

A range of "global days of action" are being planned for 2007 and 2008 where their pro-poor concerns will be highlighted, including events to protest against the American-led war in Iraq; a fast to force the complete cancellation of poor countries' debts to rich nations; and a demand for a free Palestine to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its occupation by Israel.

The political programme was adopted by social movements participating in the 7th World Social Forum (WSF) at a closing assembly chaired by South African activist Trevor Ngwane.

He was part of the country's 200-odd social movement participants, including landless people, anti-water and anti-electricity privatisation organisations, as well as HIV/Aids and housing activists, who played a leading role in last week's WSF, held in Africa for the first time.

South Africans took the lead in adopting the programme, which, ironically, coincided with the ANC's decision at its lekgotla to start its own anti-poverty movement.

Ngwane said the event did serve to highlight Africa's problems, but also exposed serious weaknesses in its organisation, such as the "commercialisation" of food and water by the organisers, and the fact that many of host country Kenya's social movements and poor were excluded.

He personally led a forced takeover of the private restaurant at the Nairobi venue, where food was too expensive for the grassroots activists attending, most of whom live on less than R20 a day.

The six-day event ended without much media exposure as the global spotlight again fell on the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where multinational chief executives and rich countries gather annually to set the direction of world economics.

The WSF originated in Latin America out of opposition to the WEF's multilateral and neo-lateral policies, which the grassroots representatives believe are exploitative and entrench inequality, fuelling growing poverty worldwide.

President Thabo Mbeki led a South African government delegation to the WEF.

For the first time, no WSF will be held next year, while activists are instead gearing up for the more "offensive" programme of events, such as the massive worldwide protests following the invasion of Iraq.

Unions and churches worldwide have vowed to work more closely than before with the social movements' activists.

The decision to follow a more aggressive programme follows the successes of this approach in Latin American countries, which in the past few years saw leftist economic policy shifts, including some changes of government, like in Bolivia and Venezuela.

While the WSF, with its rallying call "Another world is possible", was anchored in South America, the spotlight this year fell on the poorest continent, with the Nairobi meeting starting off with a march from Kibera, possibly Africa's largest slum.

Other progressive organisations from South Africa that participated generally felt the occasion was a worthwhile preparation for their struggles, but agreed that the forum was dogged by internal democracy issues and may need to be reconfigured.

Jubilee SA chair M P Giyose believes the WSF is still too dominated by Latin America and that Africa and Asia should get equal participation on its council to avoid this year's "privatisation and commercialisation fiascos".

"I believe the forum's space has been taken over by the wolves," said Giyose.

"The Third World contingent must be more equal and there must be a way of waging ideas inside the council to ensure that the agenda of the poor becomes dominant."

Jubilee is a global network aimed at persuading the rich North to scrap the debt owed to them in the marginalised developing countries. Its 100% debt cancellation was adopted as a key WSF demand in Nairobi.

Jennifer Chiriga, international director of Cape Town's Alternative Information and Development Centre, said the WSF should be taken seriously because it was "a force of rebel citizenry".